ENCINITAS, Calif. — A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a shark off Beacon’s Beach in Encinatas, California Saturday morning.
Fox 5 in San Diego reports that calls about the attack started coming in around 7 a.m. PST.
Witnesses say the boy was with a group diving for lobster.
He endured traumatic injuries to his upper torso and was airlifted to Rady Childrens Hospital. The child was conscious and talking, according to Encinitas Lifeguards Captain Larry Giles.
Chad Hammel, who was also diving for lobster, helped rescue the boy and pull him into his kayak.
“Once we threw him up on the kayak and started heading in, that’s when I looked back, and the shark was behind the kayak,” Hammel said. “He didn’t want to give up yet.”
Hammel said the boy was bleeding badly and it looked like his clavicle area had been ripped open.
The coastline has been closed for 48 hours from La Costa Ave. to Swami’s State Beach and signs have been posted to alert beach-goers, according to Capt. Giles. A nearby surf competition scheduled was also canceled.
There have been no other reports of shark sightings and officials are unsure what type of shark attacked the boy, though it was estimated to have been about 11 feet long.
